Love & Inheritance
by RazorEdge1206
Summary: Scorpius suddenly inherits Malfoy Enterprise at 28 years old, a responsibility he isn't sure he wants. Rose is the lead barrister in lawsuit against the company. Their worlds collide and they're about to change each other's lives in ways they never could have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Rose unlocked the wooden door to her office and threw her bag down with a sigh as she mentally made a list of the workload ahead of her. As soon as she had settled at her desk and started up her computer her secretary Lydia softly rapped on the frame of her open door. Rose glanced up and greeted her with a smile but quickly read the unsettled expression on Lydia's face.

"Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" asked Rose.

"Draco Malfoy was found dead last night," Lydia said as she slapped the Daily Prophet down in front of Rose.

Rose looked down at the paper intently, read the headline and let out a shallow breath. It was true. Draco Malfoy was dead. She skimmed the article, but it appeared tight lipped about the cause of death.

In shock, Rose just looked up at Lydia with a surprised expression.

"I know, right!" Lydia said.

This was huge news for the entire wizarding community. Malfoy Enterprise owned most of the remaining magical lands. Since the fall of Voldemort, the wizarding community had slowly been absorbed into the muggle community, and Malfoy Enterprise was there to profit off of it by selling as much magical property to muggles as possible.

Rose worked as a barrister for the Ministry, her current assignment was protecting the legal rights of Centaurs in the magical forests of England, almost all of which are owned by Malfoy Enterprise. The barristers at Malfoy Enterprise were conniving and vicious, it was no easy task to go up against the rich company with only the dwindling resources of the Ministry.

Rose hated Draco. He was pompous, self-assured, and cared nothing for the magical creatures his company had harmed. Much less, the witches and wizards he had put out of their homes by selling the land their homes were on to the muggle government. All in the name of profits.

"What does this mean for the leadership of Malfoy Enterprise?" Rose asked Lydia.

"Well…. I assume that Scorpius is to inherit the company."

Scorpius, a name she hadn't heard in a long time. This change of leadership could have an impact on their case.

Rose directed Lydia to finish the research report she was working on by the end of the day and leave it on her desk to review. With that, Rose launched herself into a day of grueling work, not even stopping to eat lunch—a frequent habit of hers. She was dedicated to the cause of her work, and she was determined to stop Malfoy Enterprise from selling the last of England's remaining magical forests at all costs.

* * *

Scorpius collapsed on to his couch and ran an exhausted hand down his face. He never intended to work at Malfoy Enterprises, and he certainly never intended on inheriting it at 28 years old, but here he was. He had just returned from a meeting with his father's solicitor regarding his inheritance. The last time he had spoken with his father it had ended in a screaming match over why he was so against working at the company.

Scorpius knew next to nothing about running a company, much less one the most valuable and controversial company in the wizarding world. He woke up yesterday morning to the news of his father passing, he had been numb since receiving it. Now, today, he was 30 million galleons richer, burdened with leadership of a company he never wanted, and now had two dead parents.

"Fuck you, dad," he whispered under his breath to no one but himself.

He decided to blow off steam in one of the only ways he knew how. He headed to the gym room in his penthouse apartment and lifted heavy weights until he thought he might collapse. His body was one of the only things he felt he had control over in this world, and he made sure to keep it in pristine shape.

Although Scorpius refused to work for his Dad's company, he was paid a monthly distribution from the trust his parents had created for his benefit. He lived in luxury apartment in a magical corridor of downtown London. However, he mostly made it a point to stay out of the spotlight and uninvolved in the magical community. There were too many responsibilities and expectations attached to his last name in wizarding society. Instead, he worked a muggle job from home as a web designer and made his appearance in magic social circles scarce.

As he undressed and prepared to spend some time in his steam room his cellphone rang. The name of his father's secretary of the past 15 years popped up on the screen. He rolled his eyes and hit ignore, but not three seconds later it rang again.

"Hello?" he said in a flat tone.

"Scorpius, hi, this is Marcus…err, umm, your dad's…"

"Yes, yes Marcus, I know who this is," he clipped.

"Oh well, yes," he sounded nervous. "I just thought maybe I could drop by and bring you up to speed on some matters going with the company, and uhh, well you know, the shareholders are eager to see what your next steps are going to be as the new leadership of Malfoy Enterprises-"

Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut tight. His stomach was in knots at the weight of his new responsibilities. He really didn't want to think about it, he wanted to ignore it, he wanted it to go away. Anger at his father bubbled in his chest.

"Marcus, my father isn't even buried yet, the shareholders can wait," he said bitterly, but as patiently as he could manage.

"Sir, it's just that…"

"Don't call me sir," he snapped. "I'm not my father."

"I apologize, Scorpius. I didn't mean…well, at least let me drop off some reports that will be useful for you to read, and then we can have a meeting together after the funeral."

"Fine," he replied curtly and hung up the phone with no goodbyes.

The truth was, Scorpius wasn't ready to think about what his next actions will be. Hell, he didn't even know if he would agree to become the new leadership of the company. He could appoint someone else in charge. The shareholders only cared about the return on their own investments. They wanted assurance that he would still maximize their profits. They wanted him to sit in his father's chair and take over where he left off.

He wasn't going to let anyone control him, and somehow the whole thing felt like his father had figured out that dying was the only way he could force Scorpius into being what he always wanted him to be. Scorpius knew that he sure as hell wasn't going to let shareholders, or anyone else for that matter, have any influence over how he chose to live his life.  
Later, when the reports had been delivered to his apartment, he set them on his marble kitchen counter and left them there. He wasn't ready to read them. A part of him was afraid to find out what his dad had been up to at the company. Instead, he sent a text to his most recent hookup. She was a tall blond with a gorgeous figure and had no qualms about sleeping together no strings attached, exactly what he wanted. They drank and fucked until he finally found sleep.

* * *

The morning after the news of Draco's death Rose was awake early and returning to her apartment after going to a yoga class at the studio on the corner of her street. Her red hair was tied into a messy bun and her yoga clothes hugged her fit figure. Although her main attention was always work, she was sure to exercise daily.

She made herself a cup of tea and sat down at her desk. She frequently worked through the weekends, on occasion she would go out to the pubs at the insistence of her cousins, but mostly she enjoyed staying home and burying herself in her work. That morning though she struggled to stay focused. Her gaze drifted out the window and her thoughts drifted as well. She wondered briefly how Scorpius might be handling the news of his father's death and his subsequent inheritance of the company.

She had not heard much of Scorpius over the years, though her cousin Albus was a friend of his. All she really knew was that he and Albus would occasionally go to pubs together to meet women, and that Scorpius had some amount of disdain for the magical community since his graduation from Hogwarts. She had no notions of what his leadership of the company would be like, but she would surely find out once the lawsuit came to a head.

Suddenly, she remembered a moment from nearly five years ago, when she was at a pub with her cousins celebrating Albus' promotion as an Auror. Scorpius showed up and had a steely attitude the entire night. She caught his sharp gray eyes looking at her more than once. She was inexplicably drawn to looking at him. Few could deny his good looks, but something about his gaze that night had both magnetized and unsettled her.

Her train of thought was broken by the chirp of her phone. Her stomach sank as she read the text on the screen.

Matt: _I miss you, Rose. _

She scoffed, "Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't have cheated on me, asshat," she said out loud to her empty room. Refraining from replying, she deleted the text.

She and Matt had broken up three months ago, after her cousin Molly had spotted him making out with some woman at a pub. Rose reacted to that news in her usual calm demeanor, she was not one to show a lot of emotion outwardly. Her family found her placidness to be unsettling at times. Internally though, Rose felt deep shame and foolishness over believing at one point that he was _the_ one.

Now she was 28 and utterly alone. Nothing to fill her time but her job, and her cat, Socks. She didn't find discomfort in her solitude though, at least not that she admitted to herself. In fact, she resolved that she was happy not to have the distraction of a relationship so that she could focus on work.

Resolutely, she pushed all other thoughts from her mind and continued working on preparations for the upcoming hearing in front of the magistrates of the Wizengamot that was to be held a short month away.

The day of the hearing arrived, Rose anxiously bit at her thumb nail as they waited to be called into the court chamber, an old habit of hers that she could not control in moments of extreme tension.

Finally, they were called to attendance in front of the Wizengamot and Rose's stomach did flips. Her co-counsel, she, and the barristers representing Malfoy Enterprise filed in. They took their places at their respective tables in front of the magistrate bench.

The nature of their case was a civil one, claiming that acts by Malfoy Enterprise infringed upon the civil liberties of Centaurs. By selling the lands they reside on, the Centaurs had been stripped of the liberties they were guaranteed under the Magical Creatures Equality Act of 2011. The Centaurs were pushed from their homes and were caused undue suffering, in which the case sought relief.

Additionally, selling magical lands to the Muggle government was in direct violation of the International Statue of Secrecy, one of the very oldest governing statues of wizarding society. It was the very first lawsuit of its nature in London's wizarding society,

The clerk of the court announced the case name, _Ministry of Magic v Malfoy Enterprise_, and proceedings began. Each side would present their initial facts to the Wizengamot in this hearing. Then at a later date, a full trial would take place in which the Wizengamot would rule on whether or not Malfoy Enterprises were allowed any further sales of land occupied by the Centaurs.

Rose was called to attention and she stood up and smoothed out the front of her gray pencil skirt, tucking a loose tendril of red hair behind her ear. She cleared her throat, and as she was about to begin her opening speech, she was interrupted by the creaking of the chamber door opening.

All heads turned to the direction of the opening door, and in walked Scorpius Malfoy.

A quiet gasp escaped Rose's lips, but she quickly recovered, cleared her throat once again and turned back to the magistrate before he caught a glimpse of her face.

The head magistrate appeared annoyed and called for Scorpius to settle himself in the rows of observation pews. He then motioned for Rose to continue. She paused briefly, allowing herself to gather her thoughts and strengthen her resolve so that her voice did not come out shaky.

She took her work very seriously, and she would not let a surprise appearance of Scorpius distract her. Through the next 15 minutes she outlined the case against Malfoy Enterprise, all the while astutely aware of Scorpius' presence behind her. Her stomach roiled the entire time she took stand, but her countenance remained serious and steadfast. After her opening statements her co-counsel presented further facts and evidence.

The rest of the hearing went by in a blur. The barristers on behalf of Malfoy Enterprise played their usual dirty tactics. Claiming that counsel for the Ministry were overstating the impact that the selling of lands had on the Centaurs. Additionally, they tried to spin that the Ministry only wanted to use their claims as an excuse to take domain over the lands themselves. As to the count of the violation of Statute of Secrecy, they only had weak claims in opposition which gave Rose a smug sense of success.

The head magistrate spoke the final words of the hearing.

"We have heard the claims on both sides today. We will take into consideration each point. However, I warn you, that at the final hearing we expect both sides to find more substantial evidence in support. You are dismissed."

This statement shocked and angered Rose, they came prepared with a full arsenal of evidence and had worked tirelessly on preparation, what more could they want. They had some idea that the Wizengamot would not take the suit seriously, since the idea of rights and liberties for magical creatures were controversial.

She glanced over at the opposition's table and their lead barrister shot her a smug grin.

Rose maintained a still face, devoid of any reaction, but her green eyes stung with the threat of tears that she would never allow to fall.

She and her partner gathered their papers and prepared to go back to their offices to throw themselves into yet more work. The final hearing would be in two months and if the magistrates had not been satisfied with their presentation, they would have to start preparing now.

When she turned around, she saw Scorpius standing in the middle of the empty observation pews, looking in her direction with a stony expression. He wore a dark navy-blue suit; his blond hair was medium length and looked somewhat disheveled. His hands were in his pockets and he stood perfectly still. For a very brief moment their eyes met, Rose's heart pounded faster in her chest. She couldn't interpret the look on his face, but she was too afraid to maintain the eye contact long enough to glean any understanding. He was her adversary in this matter now.

She walked through the center aisle, past Scorpius, keeping her chin high and gaze forward. Without another glance in his direction, she left the chamber.

* * *

Over the past month Scorpius had learned as much as he possibly could about Malfoy Enterprise, and he was still delaying his meeting with the shareholders for as long as he could.

He remained clueless about how to run a company as large as this one, but Marcus faithfully stood by his side—imparting knowledge where he could and subtly attempting to encourage Scorpius to fulfill his inherited position.

The more Scorpius learned however, the more he realized that his father had largely abused his position of power and wealth.

He felt at a precipice. He could turn around and allow someone else to continue the mess and abuses that his father had created, or he could take a leap and try to fix it himself. The latter option felt nearly impossible.

The only thing that remained true, was that Scorpius would not be controlled by the shareholders or by his late father's wishes. If he were going to try to right his father's wrongs, it was going to take more than he had ever given, he would have to put every ounce of effort into it.

That morning, Marcus had bid him to attend and observe the hearing taking place in a lawsuit against the company. Scorpius felt unsettled by the behavior of the barristers hired to represent the company. Further, he was shocked to see Rose Weasley in the seat of the opposing counsel. She had spoken eloquently and with an air of confidence. Her physical presence was professional and commanded attention.

At the end, when their eyes met, he had a sudden moment of clarity. He quickly returned to his office and called Marcus to him.

"Ok," he said resolutely.

Marcus's face broke into a broad grin, "Ok, what?"

"I'll do this, but I need your help. There's going to be a lot of changes around here."

"Oh! I was hoping you would say that, sir!"

"Marcus," he barked. "I told you _not_ to call me that."

"Yes, sir! I mean, yes, Scorpius!"

"Schedule the meeting with the shareholders," he said distractedly with a dismissive wave of his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

In preparation for the shareholders meeting Scorpius threw himself into Malfoy Enterprise. Every waking moment was spent reviewing reports, financial projections, project performance reviews and meeting with advisors.

He was forced to make public appearances to ensure market perception of the transition stayed positive. Any negative press could swing stock prices drastically. After years of staying out of the spotlight he suddenly found himself stuck right in the middle. His reputation and appearance mattered more than it ever had before. Marcus had even hired a barber, an esthetician, and a stylist to tend to him each morning.

A clearer picture of just how many aspects of England's magical society relied on the efficiency of the company began to form in his understanding. If manufacturing processes halted thousands of people would be without a job and production would plummet. They were counted on for the production of necessary goods and the management of thousands of rental properties.

Scorpius listened to Marcus talk for hours about company history and details of what his father had been working on. Though Scorpius did not consider himself business savvy, or even nearly qualified to run the company, he identified changes he planned to make over time.

First, Scorpius wanted to convince the shareholders to drop the sales of magical forests. The lawsuit did nothing but harm the reputation of the company. However, this would be an arduous process, because this aspect was the most profitable portion of the company.

Second, Scorpius wanted to change the entire structure of how the company managed tenant properties. The company owned many residential areas in addition to the forest lands. Many of the tenants were financially strapped, and Malfoy Enterprise had been raising the rent on magical families with each passing year to maximize their profits.

Lastly, Scorpius wanted to change the benefits and salary of employees of the company. Namely, the factory workers who mass produced products ranging from cloaks to magical coffee machines. They were severely underpaid and overworked.

The more Scorpius learned the more he despised his father's greed more than ever. However, he also began to understand his father more than he ever had when he was alive. In the short time since he had inherited the company, he came to understand the constantly overworked and overstressed state that Draco had persisted in.

Marcus attempted to reign in Scorpius' expectations of reasonable changes to the company. The shareholders would not be happy. All Scorpius' ideas threatened profits. He would need to elect an entirely new Board of Directors in order to make changes as large as Scorpius envisioned, and that board was elected by the shareholders. It wasn't as simple as ordering a change, there were more business politics involved than Scorpius had ever understood.

The day of the meeting Scorpius awoke early. He started his day with his rigorous workout routine as usual. Marcus had delivered a freshly pressed suit that cost more than his average tenant made in a week of work. He felt a pang of guilt at an expense he considered to be extravagant. However, this meeting required a perfectly polished aesthetic.

The first phase of his plan required him to put on a show that he had every intention of continuing in his father's footsteps with regard to the future of Malfoy Enterprise. He would need to convince the shareholders that replacing the Board of Directors was beneficial to the future of the company.

The meeting room was on the top floor of the tallest building in London. It overlooked the city and featured a grand table made of solid marble. Scorpius stood in the middle of the long wall of floor to ceiling windows with his hands clasped behind his back as the shareholders filtered in and took their seats around the table.

Scorpius wanted to come across as strong and confident in his leadership abilities. Any question of his capabilities would cause questions of his authority.

He turned to the table of wealthy wizards, all of which exceeded him in age. He greeted them sternly and launched into a well-practiced speech he and Marcus had prepared.

To wrap up his speech he put on his most professional tone of voice, "As you men know, my father was a great leader. He had a keen sense of business and knew how to make a profit out of anything. I assure you that I plan to continue the legacy which my father has established here at Malfoy Enterprise. More than anything, my father always emphasized innovation and I believe with my new leadership we can continue to accomplish such a mission," he said with a strong voice.

"I see it as the utmost importance that we replace the Board of Directors with a new group of people that are loyal to myself and to all of you. Therefore, I am planning a new election meeting for next week, in which we shall vote on a new board. My Chief Financial Officer has prepared a presentation which will go over the long-term financial benefits of this decision."

A short man name Boris sitting next to Scorpius bowed his head the group and proceeded to cast a spell which projected the image of a power point presentation.

The brilliant idea to bore the shareholders out of their own capacity for maintaining attention had come from Marcus. The presentation would be so long and tedious that the shareholders were sure to lose interest within in the first half hour. By the end of it they would be begging to agree to anything that would put a stop to it.

Boris droned for the next 70 minutes. Scorpius smiled to himself as he noticed two shareholders practically falling asleep in their chairs. At the end of the presentation most looked ready to be done with the meeting and willing to agree to anything that Scorpius would suggest.

However, Jeremy, the most powerful and respected of the shareholders spoke up.

"Scorpius, it's great that you've decided to take such an interest in the company," he started in a tone dripping with condescension. "Of everything presented today, I can't see anything that really justifies replacing a board which has served this company faithfully for a decade."

One of the six other shareholders nodded his head in agreement with Jeremy. Scorpius' heart seized in anxiety, but he refused to show it outwardly.

"As Boris so kindly presented to us, there are many benefits to replacing the board," Scorpius maintained. "It's clear that many administrative and structural changes could be made to the company in order to improve financial efficiency, which will put more money in your own pockets. These changes cannot be made possible without modernizing our board as well."

Jeremy considered this for a moment and smiled smugly. "Surely, you don't think that after a month of learning about Malfoy Enterprises you truly know what is best for this company."

Scorpius' face heated and he slammed a fist to the table.

"I will not be undermined at my own table," Scorpius said in a chillingly even tone. "I am sure that your more logical counterparts at this table will come to see the benefit in the change of board members. You may see me as young and inexperienced, but I am here to lead this company now."

After a brief, but heated, back and forth between Scorpius and Jeremy it was agreed that there would be a vote the following week. When everyone had left the room, he let out a breath he felt he had been holding through the entire meeting. It felt like neither a success nor a loss. The vote would take place, but that didn't mean that the shareholders would appoint his recommended members.

In the few days that followed leading up to the vote, Scorpius spent all of his time having extravagant dinners with each of the seven shareholders. Including an incredibly uncomfortable dinner with Jeremy and his wife. At each meeting he had to schmooze and charm each into going along with him plan. At the end of each day, after working all day and working the shareholders all evening, he would collapse into bed and try to get a fitful few hours of sleep before waking to do it all over again.

In the end, Scorpius was able to replace three of the six board members with his own appointments. Including his vote as a board member himself, he now maintained a majority of the board who were likely to vote in his favor.

Those two weeks of replacing the board were the most exhausting weeks of his entire life and now they were only six weeks away from the final hearing in the lawsuit.

Scorpius feared that there wouldn't be enough time to convince the board to vote to end the sales of their forest properties. Plus, he received word that Jeremy and two other shareholders had been bribing some of the newly appointed members to oppose Scorpius' changes.

He wondered if letting the lawsuit play out and maintaining good relations with shareholders and board members would outweigh the reputation boost the company would gain from calling off the sales.

Although he couldn't let anyone know, he had been swayed himself by the arguments against his own company that Rose, and her partner, had laid out in the last hearing. The images of displaced Centaurs that they had shown at the hearing sometimes swam in his vision as he tried to sleep at night.

Public opposition was mounting against the sales, he was sure this was courtesy of the Ministry's efforts to put pressure on him. The Daily Prophet had now run a few opinion pieces against Malfoy Enterprise.

As the hearing loomed, Scorpius began losing hope that he was capable of unravelling the deep corrupt legacy of his father.

One night, after coming home from a long day at the office, Scorpius sat in his study sipping Firewhiskey and contemplating how he could convince the board to vote in favor of his plan to end forest sales. He concluded that Jeremy posed the biggest issue, if it weren't for him poisoning the rest of the shareholders and the new board, Scorpius was confident that he would have no problem passing the Resolution. Getting rid of Jeremy was his best bet.

He thought back to the time in their last year at Hogwarts, when he and Rose were Heads. Rose impressed everyone by figuring out a solution to a parasite that had infected the waters of the Black Lake which was killing magical creatures. She really was made for the roll of defending the Centaurs. Ironically, she was the only people he knew who could come up with a plan to stop the lawsuit.

* * *

Rose worked tirelessly to gather as much evidence and support as she possibly could. She had spent three days visiting the largest Centaur camp and gathering testimony as to the suffering inflicted upon them by Malfoy Enterprise. She left no stones unturned.

Her face still flushed with embarrassment when she recalled the head magistrate's displeasure in their presentation at the last hearing. Her pride would not let her sleep at night until she felt she had done everything in her power to progress their case. She rarely went to sleep before 3 a.m. and spent hours after returning home from the office reading through statutes, trying to identify any possible violation by Malfoy Enterprise.

Frankly, Rose was working herself into an early grave. Her usual flawless complexation looked dull and puffy. She hadn't had restful sleep in two weeks, and it showed. Her cousins attempted to stop by her apartment every couple of days just to make sure that she was feeding herself and taking showers.

As the day of the final hearing approached, Rose isolated herself more and more.

One evening at nearly midnight Rose heard a knock at her door. Any of her cousins would have usually let themselves in, though perhaps one had finally discovered common decency.

She rubbed her eyes shuffled towards the door.

As she wrenched the door open she began chastising whichever cousin was behind the door, "wow, you finally discovered how to knock instead of just walt-" she cut her sentence off immediately as her eyes adjusted to reveal the person she least expected to find at her doorstep.

Scorpius. What the fuck was he doing at her door.

"Oh," she said, trailing, "I thought..." but she was at a loss for words at his sudden appearance before her. She had seen him from a distance in the court chamber, but now up-close, she could see that in the many years since she had seen him last, he had grown into a manly figure. Thoughts of his muscled stature in his well-fitted dark suit were quickly replaced with outrage over the inappropriateness of his being there as reality set in.

"Ms. Weasley," he said with a bow of his head. "I...erm...excuse my impropriety for disturbing you at this time of night-" but she cut him off, speaking quickly.

"You're most certainly not excused; this is highly inappropriate! If you have something to communicate to me about the suit you would be wise to have your barristers contact our offices. The magistrates will not be pleased to hear about this breach of conduct!"

His facial expressed turned dark at her words. He hadn't considered the repercussions of showing up there, he had just been eager to resolve the issue of the suit and after two glasses of Firewhiskey, it had seemed like a good idea.

"I assure you I have no ill intentions towards you. I just thought perhaps you were the most qualified person to discuss the matter with. I realize now though that I'm mistaken, I'll leave now."

She considered his facial expression and contemplated what could possibly motivate him to come here at this hour of the night. Then she remembered this was a man who had just lost his father recently. Those thoughts made her hesitate to slam the door in his face. As he began to turn his back towards her, she surprised herself and called out after him, "wait!"

He quickly turned back around but she hadn't thought about what she would say next. She made a tsssk sound and against her better judgment she invited him to step inside her apartment.

Without hesitation he stooped inside her dark apartment. As his eyes adjusted, he glanced around to take in his surroundings. Her apartment was quite literally filled with books. Most looked like old bound legal volumes. They lined floating shelf along the wall and tall stacks peppered the floor.

A large desk was pushed against floor to ceiling glass window panes overlooking London, it was completely covered in abandoned half full cups of tea, scrolls, quills and volumes of thick books. Upon seeing her flat, realizing he was interrupting her work and observing the signs of exhaustion on her face, he felt ridiculous for being there uninvited. Suddenly, the five years since he had seen her last felt like an eternity.

She was conscious and embarrassed at the state of her flat, the insecurity caused her to clasp her hands together in front of her. While she avoided his gaze, he observed her long curly red hair and fit figure—she had aged very gracefully over the years, he thought. Each passing moment of silence felt increasingly awkward and she had no control or understanding of her wildly beating heart.

He cleared his throat, "I know this probably seems rather strange that I'm here." She nodded in agreement; rather strange it was... "by now you know that I've inherited my father's company. It is unfortunate that we find ourselves as adversaries in the Ministry lawsuit," he continued, careful that his word choice did not to reveal too many of his cards at once.

He was there because he didn't trust most of his board members or shareholders and truthfully, he didn't trust anyone with the details of what he planned for the company, much less the barrister on the other side of the lawsuit against the company who he now stood in front of. Yet, he was still there for some inexplicable reason, which seemed logical just fifteen-minutes prior.

In his usual business tone, he continued, "In this transitional period, Malfoy Enterprises is going through many changes. I am considering ending some of the major ventures taken on by my father, including the forest sales." Though he didn't know it yet, his extreme "business-like" manner was his new form of building walls around himself, to protect himself from people who aimed to take advantage of his new power and wealth.

Rose was shocked at what he had just revealed, however she remained skeptical. Why would he choose to end what was likely a highly profitable sector of Malfoy Enterprise? She narrowed her eyes at him as if it would help her see through any deception he may be spinning.

"Okay," she said slowly. "So, you're planning on ending the forest sales and you're here because..." the upturn in the pitch of her voice made it a question she was waiting for him to answer, but instead of allowing him to answer just then she continued, "don't you have an entire legal department to consult with? In what world does it make sense to come to the apartment of the barrister currently suing your company in the middle of the night? Did you think that because you knew me, a lifetime ago I might add, that I would tell you how to make this all resolve itself?"

Her composed and pointed questions made him shrink away from her and feel utterly ridiculous. Although he knew deep down that she was right, and even felt a little impressed she had pinned him so easily, he felt contempt towards her for being so blunt in pointing out his misconduct. Heat flushed his cheeks and his attitude shifted instantly.

"I do see now that I've made quite an incredible mistake in coming here. Though, you let me in, and I know you're curious or you would have slammed that door in my face," he said with the satisfaction that he had flipped the attention to her own wrongdoings.

She took a moment to compose herself, careful not to give away even an ounce of the anger that was boiling inside of her.

"If I were giving you legal advice, and let me be clear, I am _not_," she said sharply, "but if I were, I would tell you that you are mistaken if you think that the end of the sales now would cause the ministry to vacate the lawsuit. Wouldn't it just be nice for everything to wrap up with a pretty bow on top. If that's what you came here to achieve tonight, Malfoy, you ought to pull your head out of your own arse and see that there is no way to undo the suffering that your company has imposed upon the victims. I read your little interview in the paper this morning, I know you plan to carry on your father's profit hungry, wicked, legacy. It will take a whole lot more than groveling at my knees to fix what your father started," her tone acidic and by the end of her diatribe her voice was raised well above what would be considered an appropriate inside voice.

He looked at her with a stricken facial expression. He was angry that she had made him feel so insignificant, that she even suggested he was groveling. He was even more angry that she had so misinterpreted his intentions for ending the forest sales. Despite her suggestion otherwise, he did want to help the Centaurs, though he would never be able to publicly announce that.

Selfishly, he also wanted to the end of the lawsuit for the improvement of company optics, but that had never been hid true motivation for seeking a resolution. It didn't matter now though; he was so angry at her audacity to speak to him that way- with no consideration for what it was really like to run the company and no consideration for that fact that he might be nothing like his father. Most of all, he was incensed that this was another instance he was forced into pretending as though he gave a shit about his father's legacy just to protect investments and reputation. His father was still controlling him from the grave.

"You know nothing about what it takes to run a company like Malfoy Enterprise," he snapped, moving a step closer to her and towering over her with his foot of extra height, she shrank below him. "I haven't slept in weeks keeping it all together. This entire community relies on me whether you understand it or not. After my father died everything had to continue without skipping a beat, because people's livelihoods are on the line. I don't have to waste my time caring about the fucking Centaurs if I didn't have a personal interest in it. I could have taken the paycheck and never looked back, Weasley. For a barrister, you make a hell of a lot of assumption about me without any facts!" He had given away more of himself than he had wanted to, but the lack of sleep and Firewhiskey had lowered his defenses.

Nothing enraged her more than her competency being questioned as he just had. Her jaw, which had been hanging open a half inch, snapped closed and all she could do was glare up at him to match his equally enraged expression as both of their chests heaved with angry breaths. She refused to let him force emotion out of her though, she would remain calm she told herself.

She stepped back from him to put the distance back between them that he had closed. Rose mentally reviewed and reflected on what he had said, and she had to admit that she did make a lot of assumptions she didn't even realize she had been making. Shame washed over her, and she felt the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. Blinking the sensation away she took a deep breath to clear her mind.

Unwilling to admit that she was wrong she simply whispered in a hoarse voice, "What do you want then, why did you come here?"

Confronted with that question, and after everything that had just transpired, he wasn't sure what do say. He knew at that point that he would not gain any of her respect without being honest about why he wanted to end the forest sales- and for some reason that he couldn't yet identify, he wanted her respect.

"I know what my father has done is irreparable," he started, still grasping at his thoughts and attempting to string together something coherent. He absolutely hated feeling so very vulnerable in that moment. In a moment of rare softness, he continued, "I just…I listened to what you said in the hearing, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I don't want any more harm to come to the Centaurs, and even the lesser creatures. It's all so complicated. I thought I had the vote with the board to pass a Resolution to end it, and now I think one of the shareholders is black mailing some of them to vote against me…I want to fix it, Rose." He couldn't meet her eyes; it was too painful for him to be so honest and reveal that he wasn't as in control of the company as he wished.

The sound of her name on his voice…the sound of his real voice that she remembered from long ago, unmasked from behind the business tone he had been using before, left an unidentifiable feeling in Rose's stomach. She still felt lingering anger towards him, but she also felt undeniable sympathy for him.

She was insightful enough to know that she was seeing a side of him that was rarely shown, that it had been a struggle for him to say as much as he did, and she knew she hadn't even earned his honesty with the way she had treated him. Guilt sank in the pit of her stomach.

She let out a big sigh and finally met his eyes. She knew what she was about to say would break most of the rules in the barrister code of conduct, yet she felt she had to return the vulnerability he had shown her.

"If you really want to pass your Resolution, get proof that one of the shareholders is blackmailing the board. Have one of the board members you trust meet with the suspected blackmailer. With a recording charm you could get enough evidence against them to push them into agreeing to letting you buy out their share. The legal battle doesn't just end with a promise to stop the sales though, the magistrates will expect that you compensate for damages already done."

His heart swelled and for just a moment he felt his walls slip a little lower as he looked at her in awe at her ability to instantly come up with a plan. A rare smile flashed across his face for an instant and it took effort not to hug her.

"It's genius, Rose! I can't thank you enough. I have to go right now, there's so much work to be done, I promise I will repay you."

And just as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone with the crack and flash of apparition, leaving Rose completely stunned.

A/N: I apologize if there are any major spelling/grammar mistakes, I was on a roll and wanted to get it up right away. Leave a comment or a follow if you're enjoying the story and excited to see what happens next!


	3. Chapter 3

Rose woke up to the tickle of Sock's whiskers on her cheek. She opened her bleary eyes to peer into the large curious eyes of her cat.

"Hi, buddy" she whispered as she reached out to scratch under the purring cats chin. Socks plopped down happily and curled against her chest. Rose closed her eyes again and snuggled the cat peacefully.

The memory of Scorpius suddenly arriving at her doorstep the night before caused her eyes to fly open and her pulse to spike. _Shite_, she thought. Was that just a dream? Guilt sank in her stomach as she remembered their conversation, which went against her oath as a barrister.

Socks glared at her as she disrupted his nap to sit up and swing her legs out of the bed. That evening was the Ministry's annual ball. As an employee of the Ministry she was obligated to attend. She groaned and ran a hand down her face.

Before she would let herself get lost in more guilty thoughts about the evening prior, she decided she would pop over to Albus and Lily's flat. She got ready quickly and stepped into her floo.

"Hello?" she called out into Albus and Lily's empty living room. "It's Rose!" She listened but heard nothing. It was just like her cousins to not be awake before eleven in the morning on a Saturday. She grumbled under her breath about lazy sods and made her way to their kitchen to help herself to a cup of tea.

As she was steeping her tea Albus finally made his way into the kitchen, a look of surprise on his face.

"Rose? What are you doing here, mate?"

A blond girl wearing only one of Albus' shirts trailed behind him sheepishly.

Rose look pointedly at the girl and cleared her throat.

"I just thought I would pop in for a chat, but I see you already have company."

Albus blushed but proceeded to pour two more cups of water from the kettle to make tea for him and his female friend.

"Really, Rose, we never see you around anymore. Always working yourself to death."

"I can't just stop by to see my cousins every once in a while?"

"Of course, you can. I'm just…suspicious. Avoiding something, are you?"

"You really think I need to have an ulterior motive?"

The blond girl shuffled awkwardly, looking down at her feet, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Rose heard Lily coming down the hall towards them.

"It that Rose I hear?" called out Lily.

"Hi, Lils!" Rose said with a broad smile.

Lily squealed and gave Rose a hug, energetic as always.

"_Soooo_ good to see you, Rose," she said, "what are you doing here? Procrastinating something?"

Rose rolled her eyes dramatically.

"You two are insufferable."

Lily and Albus shrugged at the same time and laughed at their synchronicity.

"So, I see you've met Albus' girl of the week," Lily said to Rose.

Albus used the tea towel in his hand to snap Lily with it.

"Oy!" he shouted, "be nice, Lily!"

The girl squirmed in discomfort.

"Actually, Al. I think I'll be going; let you all catch up and all." He shot her an apologetic look and guided her out of the kitchen back to his room so she could gather her things.

Lily giggled once they were out of ear shot and mimicked the girl in a sickeningly high-pitched voice, "_Aaaaal, I think I'll be gooooing_."

"Lily! You are a terror. The girl did nothing wrong."

"If you had to deal with chicks in and out of here like I do you would understand! Anyway, you alright, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course, I just really needed some social interaction with my mates, this case against Malfoy Enterprise has been exhausting to say the least."

Lily looked at her and the bags under her eyes sympathetically.

"You look right exhausted, Rose."

Rose huffed. "Gosh, Lils. You sure know how to make a girl feel great about herself."

"Well…" Lily shrugged. "You need to get some more sleep, eat a full meal every once in a while. At least Matt used to force feed you. I worry about you cooped up in that stuffy flat of yours, alone," she emphasized the word _alone_.

Rose cringed at the mention of his name.

"I'm quite fine alone." Rose bit her lip and looked down at her feet, knowing the lie in her words. She was lonely.

Lily changed the subject, seeing her discomfort at the subject of her lack of a love life.

"Draco's dead now, eh?"

Rose couldn't help but laugh at Lily's usual blunt demeanor despite the seriousness of the topic.

"The wicked wizard is dead," Rose replied in agreement.

Lily flicked her long hair over her shoulder, "Well, at least now we get to see Scorpius' handsome face all over the Prophet these days, yeah?"

Rose fought to keep her face impassive at the sound of his name.

"Well he is my number one enemy now," Rose said, ignoring Lily's comment about his appearance, never mind the fact that she had helped that enemy hatch a plan in the dead of night.

Lily waggled her eyebrows at her.

"Damn he is _fit _though!" she said waving that morning's copy of the Prophet in Roses' face.

Rose glanced at the photo on the cover. It featured Scorpius in a polished grey suit shaking hands with the Minister of Magic. The accompanying article went into detail about a new project in which Malfoy Enterprise would break ground on housing for low income wizarding families.

"And a philanthropist apparently, a very wealthy one at that." Lily added.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Sure, all for the good press coverage," she shot back.

"Damn, that's harsh, Rose. Give the guy a break, yeah? He did also just lose his father."

Rose wanted to change the subject immediately, and she knew a discussion on what she should wear to the Ministry ball would be right up Lily's alley. They spent the next few hours watching a Muggle television show, Lily's favorite, Love Island. Rose had forgotten how good it felt to just forget about work for a while and gossip over nonsense television and eat junk food.

As it got closer to time for Rose to get ready for the evening Lily helped her pick out a dress to borrow. They ended up agreeing on a floor length green dress that hugged all the right places. Lily helped her cast hair and make-up charms and when Rose looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. It had been a long time since she sported anything other than her usual barrister clothes, but she did have to admit it was fun and she looked pretty good too.

* * *

Scorpius felt exhaustion settle deep into his bones as his stylists fussed with his hair and the tuxedo, they had dressed him in for the Ministry ball.

He chalked his nerves up to the fact that Roses' plan was going into action that night. Darius had been briefed on the plan and the recording spell had been cast, in the hopes that they would catch Jeremy trying to black mail him into submission.

Scorpius clenched his fist and tried to shake the nerves from the pit of his stomach. Really, he had nothing to worry about on that front. Marcus was handling the entire plan and Jeremy was sure to try his skeevy tactics in a setting where he thought Darius couldn't fight back publicly.

If he let himself admit it, the source of his nerves was that a certain witty red-haired witch would be in attendance, but he certainly wouldn't let himself admit such a thing.

A sudden sadness washed over him, wishing he could talk to his Mum. Everyone around him was paid to be in his orbit. He realized there wasn't a single person around him that simply wanted to be there for him. He and Albus hadn't hung out since he took over the company, there just wasn't enough time in the day. He couldn't even bring himself to even call up an old hookup, he saw the way women threw themselves at him now that he was suddenly wealthier than the devil. He couldn't trust anyone, wouldn't.

He never fully understood how alienating wealth was until that moment, left with no family and surrounded by paid employees.

He sighed heavily and stood up suddenly, garnering an angry look from his stylist who had been in the middle of straightening his bowtie.

"Leave it," he said to her curtly, fixing it himself.

He didn't feel like himself anymore, he didn't recognize this version of himself and he loathed it. He also knew he couldn't let this melancholic mood show, it was an important networking night. His first major Ministry event since taking over the company, and he needed to be on point. He resolutely pushed those thoughts from his mind and apparated to the ball alone.

He schmoozed ministry officials and sucked down flutes of champagne for the better part of an hour, even though he knew that he probably shouldn't be drinking, but felt as though it would be the only thing to get him through the night.

As the Minster of Magic told a joke he did his part to laugh and smile, however his mind felt a million miles away from the circle of powerful bureaucrats that had formed around him. It was never far from his mind that these people didn't actually care about him. They cared about his status and money and what it might be able to do for them if they played their cards right.

Occasionally he stole a look at the gorgeous red head in a perfect green dress.

* * *

Across the room, Rose caught a glimpse of Scorpius and the group around him. Everything about him looked expensive and well put together. Despite the wide smile on his face, she recognized the look of sadness behind his eyes. She felt a pang of something she couldn't identify in the pit of her stomach, but instead of investigating the feeling further, she shook her head free of thoughts and excused herself from the discussion she had been having with a coworker.

She pushed herself through the doors of the balcony for some fresh air. Sipping her champagne, she leaned on the balcony railing and looked up to admire the night sky, full of stars. In this small moment of peace, she nearly forgot she was in the middle of the Ministry event until she heard someone else enter the balcony.

She didn't turn around, choosing instead to preserve the moment just for herself. It was short lived, as someone leaned against the railing a couple of feet from her. She glanced over to see Scorpius, looking pristine, leaning on his forearms and looking up at the stars she had just been enjoying herself.

Her stomach did a curious flip.

"Remember that time, in the Heads dorm in seventh year when you were so mad at me for spilling ink on your Charms essay that you threw my broom over the balcony," he said, without looking at her.

She was so surprised that he would recall that memory, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"Right prat you were, you deserved that, I spent _hours_ on that essay."

He looked over at her with a smile. She noticed this time, his eyes didn't look quite as sad as they had earlier.

"How about the time I came back from rounds to find you and Albus _crying_ over the muggle film Love Actually," she said with a raised eyebrow and stifled smile.

He cringed but had an amused smile on his face.

"At least I didn't dance around the common room to _Madonna_ when I thought no one was looking," he shot back.

"I did no such thing!" She exclaimed, turning pink with embarrassment. He started humming the tune of Like a Virgin under his breath in jest.

"Hey! Madonna is a pop icon, a queen!" Rose said, breaking into a fit of laughter.

The sound of her laugh made his heart swell.

"Those were simpler times, weren't they," his voice turned so solemn, the sound of it made her heart squeeze. She felt the atmosphere shift as he returned to the stoic business man she had observed that evening. She didn't know why; she just knew she wanted to make him feel better, wanted to make him smile again.

She didn't get the chance though because a man burst through the balcony doors. They both stood straight up and turned to the intruder.

"Scorpius!" Bellowed the voice.

Rose looked between the two in anticipation.

"Jeremy," purred Scorpius in an acidic tone.

"You must think I'm a fool, to send Darius here with a recording spell, eh?" the man shot back.

She understood quickly that this must be the board member that Rose had given Scorpius advice on. Her stomach dropped as she realized that perhaps her plan wasn't going to go as smoothly as she had thought it would.

Scorpius' eyes darkened and he stepped between Rose and the man, making sure that he wouldn't somehow hurt her if the situation got out of hand.

"Perhaps _you_ think I'm the fool," Scorpius said in a level tone, "if you think you can black mail the other board members without me catching wind of it."

Jeremy chuckled, the sound of it made Rose's spine tingle, this man was pure evil.

"It was just so easy to dig up dirt on the idiots you've infiltrated the board with," Jeremy spat. "Crouch has already seen the benefits of working with me, perhaps he shouldn't have cheated on his wife. Oh, and Hollingsworth, that git broke so easily when I told him of the indecent photos of his wife in my possession. The money they've paid me to keep quiet is an added bonus."

Jeremy had the personality in which he found it nearly impossible not to gloat about his perceived successes.

Scorpius nearly growled at that man, reaching his hand towards the wand in his pocket.

Rose stepped from behind him and gave him a look that said _don't you dare pull your wand out_.

"Not a good idea, Scorpius," Jeremy said with an evil grin appearing on his face. "Admit your defeat and submit like a good boy. Your father would prefer it this way, with me in charge of the board."

Rage boiled under Scorpius' skin.

"It's _my_ company," he hissed. "and I will make sure your grubby hands are nowhere near my board."

"How d'you imagine you'll do that, boy? You don't have proof of anything."

"Actually," pipped Rose, "he does." She quickly cast a spell that replayed Jeremy's words from just moments before.

"You've just admitted to black mailing his board members, and, I've got it on recording. Under the Statute of High Crimes, you've just broken the law by committing extortion, a felony with penalties up to four years in prison," she said, citing the law in a matter-of-fact way.

Jeremy sputtered and Scorpius just looked at Rose with wide eyes.

"How dare you…y-y-ou little cunt!" raged Jeremy.

This broke Scorpius from his shock, his rage returned. He stepped forward and punched Jeremy square in the jaw.

"You don't get to speak to her that way, _filth_."

At the same moment, Marcus came through the doors look frantic and the rest flew by in a haze for Rose. Aurors were called, Rose and Scorpius were both interviewed, and once the recording was turned over, they had enough evidence to arrest Jeremy.

The scene had drawn quite a crowd, including Rose's parents who were now grilling her over the events. Her head was starting to ache, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl under her sheets and go to sleep.

As she explained to Hermione what took place she, couldn't stop looking over to Scorpius as he spoke to the aurors and replaying in her mind how he had punched the man for calling her such a vile word.

"Are you going to be alright?" her Mum asked, "should I stay over at your flat tonight?"

Rose looked back at her Mum and smiled appreciatively.

"I'm fine, I promise. Just a bit shaken up is all."

"I'll check on you tomorrow, ok, love?" They said their goodbyes and when all seemed to have settled down Rose made her way over to Scorpius.

"Rose…I- I really can't thank you enough."

She shook her head, "No reason to thank me."

"Are you kidding, that was bloody brilliant. How did you know to start recording?"

"I just, I realized who he must be, and I figured he was probably not the type to keep his mouth shut for long."

This made Scorpius laugh, he couldn't even remember the last time he had truly laughed. The look on his face was one of pure admiration. She shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

"You ought to talk to your legal team, y'know. Have them read through his contact and make sure this sort of thing actually gets him kicked off the board."

He nodded. "They're already on it."

"I think I'll head home now, I'm exhausted, but I'm glad I could help you take down that bastard," she said, and meant it.

"We make a pretty good team, eh? Just like the old days when we were Heads."

She laughed and shot him a sly smile that matched his own but sobered quickly when she remembered that technically they were still adversaries in the court case. Under any other circumstances she knew they would easily become friends again, but right now they couldn't.

"See you in court, Scorpius," she said, and apparated away.

That night, when Scorpius finally got into bed, he realized he felt more like himself than he had in a very long time. Thoughts of a green dress and warm smiles swam in his mind as he fell into sleep.

* * *

**A/N: I promise I am not abandoning the story! I got super busy and didn't have time to write for a bit. New chapter coming soon. Leave a comment, xx! **


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